The present invention relates generally to photographic apparatus and, more particularly, film feeding mechanisms to be used in conjunction with photographic apparatus of the self-developing type and methods of operation thereof.
Heretofore, a wide variety of photographic apparatus of the self-developing type for exposing and processing film units have been proposed. Exemplary photographic apparatus of this type are described and illustrated in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,930,301; 3,405,619; 3,852,781; 4,114,166; 4,132,471; 4,172,647; 4,855,769; 5,103,249; and, 5,453,804. Typically, such cameras use self-developing film assemblages of either the peel-apart or integral kind. Cameras of the above type are cooperable with film systems, whereby the film frames are driven from the camera by some internal mechanism or are manually withdrawn by an operator exerting a pulling force on a film strip. During film advance, the film frames engage pressure applying mechanisms which act to rupture pods containing processing fluid and then spreading the latter over the film unit in order to initiate processing of the latent image.
While such apparatus are commercially successful and operate in a reliable manner, nevertheless there is a continuing desire for providing improved apparatus of the above type, especially from the standpoint of transferring and singulating individual film units.